Sunday, September 4, 2011

You just never know . . .

It started out with hubby worrying about the “junk” collecting in our [old] garage.

A day or two before the closing, he was concerned so he followed me in the other car and watched in amazement as I stuffed all in one vehicle.

Later at home, he graciously asked if I would have my feelings hurt if he repacked the van.

And since there was more room following his reorganization, I brought more things—and even he added a couple of items and the van was completely full to the very tip top. I had to stuff things like underwear and sleeping attire in corners and under the seat rather than packing a regular suitcase.

Then dear hubby insisted that he drive the packed, no-visibility car for the week prior to my sister’s garage sale—well—not really her garage sale—a garage sale that she reluctantly agreed to host for her out-of-town daughters on the designated day of the mother-of-all-garage sales in the Midwestern college town—or maybe it is a village where she lives.

The car was smelling stale, like the old dusty stuff and he was just being nice—he intimated but I have a strong suspicion that he was not sure—with good reason—if I knew how to drive a car using only side mirrors.

A day or two before departure, I confidently invited hubby to go with me to said garage sale, knowing quite well that he would refuse because I knew that he planned to pull honey but it seemed a nice thing to do—invite him, that is.

And then, he said, “Yes, I think I will go!”

Following that, I began a very persuasive campaign lasting several days to dissuade him.He had too much work to do. When would he have another opportunity to pull honey.It was predicted to rain anyhow.

He would be bored. It would be a lot of sitting around time and he is not used to that.“I like sitting around.”Really?

He would feel agitated.He would not feel agitated, he would enjoy the family. He likes my family. He loves being with them.

It would be sad for him to waste a perfectly good opportunity to set up for extracting.Maybe we could go home a day early. “No!”

It would complicate sleeping arrangements.I am totally flexible and sleep fine on an air mattress anywhere but he does not.“We can get a hotel room.”I explained, that would negate the profit of the garage sale.He would book the room on points.

I did not want him to go because I whole heartedly believed he would put a big damper on my fun.I knew by then that sister Lou and sister Donna had both offered us lodging in their homes but . . .

I wanted to:Leave when I wanted to leave andStay as long as I wanted to stay!

When traveling with children we frequently hear questions like, “How much longer?”

Not so with my hubby. He likes a road trip. It is when we arrive that the perpetual questions begin: "Are you about ready to leave?" "Do you know what time it is?" A couple of his favorites are: "When did I agree to this?" and "Remind me, why do we like this?" Or a question that I think reveals his age, "How can you stand all of this noise?" Finally he moves on to statements like, "I have a big day tomorrow.” And then one that always gets me, especially when it is MY family and MY friends that he is speaking about . . . “They are waiting for us to leave.” and “You go ahead and finish up; I’ll just go sit in the car and wait on you.”

So we came to an agreement and Hubby went with me to the first garage sale he has ever fully experienced—for two entire days!

I was wrong. He did not ask one of the above questions—not one!

He loved it! The whole weekend. The whole experience.

He thought it was a “Hoot!”

He loved people watching.

He particularly was amazed and tickled at all of the forms of transportation—

from mules, four wheelers, ATV’s, utility tractors, motorcycles, bikes, trailers, and more golf carts than you would see on a golf course in a summer season.

He loved the conversations, the food,

the camaraderie and the children—all of the things that I love about the event.

The children were particularly fun to watch!

Most of them motivated to earn money for a family vacation.

They were energetic, creative, tireless, and innovative in advertising and stopping cars and selling their wares.

I never heard a contentious word between them. They were a delight.

Hey relatives—don’t you adore Maddie’s new haircut? What a cutie!

All of our “good stuff” sold in the first hour and after that we continued to rake in quarters and occasional dollars.

I wonder if we intimidated some shoppers and buyers with all of our sellers and observers.

We ended up with a few things to toss, a few things to donate and even a couple of things to save but the sale was a huge success.

We were happy that the storms waited until after the last tables were returned and brought inside. It was hot, really hot but no one complained much although you can tell that by midafternoon, we all were feeling weary.

About Me

I was an Ohio farm girl, then a teacher. Following my marriage, I moved with my husband to the Chicagoland area and became the mother of two sons. At age forty, when my sons were ten and twelve years old, my husband died suddenly. My life was turned upside down. Through those difficult years, God was faithful. I became very aware of His presence and watchcare over our lives. I loved being my sons’ mama. They became wonderful men of character. Eight years later, I remarried and our family of three immediately became a family of thirteen. My husband is a hobbyist beekeeper and is contemplating retirement but still works fulltime. Today, our family numbers 23.